For this journal, I would like to focus on my middle school CT, Mr. Whalen, who teaches Grade 7 science.
I’ve noticed that Mr. Whalen works toward nurturing relationships based on respect, trust, and warmth while providing just enough sternness. He also works to foster an environment of taking risks academically- Mr. Whalen likes to use his projector camera to show samples of students’ work from the day, offered voluntarily. Sometimes the work is completely wrong but instead of letting that be an embarrassing situation, Mr. Whalen praises his students for taking risks, eliminating the shame that so often gets attached to “being wrong”. In general, Mr. Whalen offers quite a bit of praise, but it is always sincere and tailored.
With the exception of some students who enjoy pushing the boundaries and others who seem to have years’ worth of authority struggle, I find that the students generally feel very safe in Mr. Whalen’s class because he is so supportive and the proper levels of structure are implemented and maintained. I think that they perceive Mr. Whalen as having the majority of the power, but I have noticed bouts of self-empowerment amongst the students during labs and classroom discussions.
Overall, the students in each class respond the same to Mr. Whalen’s teaching styles, though there may be subtle differences in how he interacts with each class that I am not noticing. Sometimes he is forced to elevate his authority into a more stern posture for the students have a harder time following directions and cooperating. Otherwise, the perception of power seems similar for each class.
I find Mr. Whalen’s encouraging attitude to be quite inspiring. Urban students often have the plight of learned helplessness upon them, which I think Mr. Whalen is actively trying to combat in his classroom by seeing that his students voices are heard and respected. Ultimately, I want to be perceived by my students as warm, understanding, wise, organized, and consistent. I see myself gravitating toward indirect instruction. I have a deep appreciation for inquiry learning and cooperative learning.
I’ve noticed that Mr. Whalen works toward nurturing relationships based on respect, trust, and warmth while providing just enough sternness. He also works to foster an environment of taking risks academically- Mr. Whalen likes to use his projector camera to show samples of students’ work from the day, offered voluntarily. Sometimes the work is completely wrong but instead of letting that be an embarrassing situation, Mr. Whalen praises his students for taking risks, eliminating the shame that so often gets attached to “being wrong”. In general, Mr. Whalen offers quite a bit of praise, but it is always sincere and tailored.
With the exception of some students who enjoy pushing the boundaries and others who seem to have years’ worth of authority struggle, I find that the students generally feel very safe in Mr. Whalen’s class because he is so supportive and the proper levels of structure are implemented and maintained. I think that they perceive Mr. Whalen as having the majority of the power, but I have noticed bouts of self-empowerment amongst the students during labs and classroom discussions.
Overall, the students in each class respond the same to Mr. Whalen’s teaching styles, though there may be subtle differences in how he interacts with each class that I am not noticing. Sometimes he is forced to elevate his authority into a more stern posture for the students have a harder time following directions and cooperating. Otherwise, the perception of power seems similar for each class.
I find Mr. Whalen’s encouraging attitude to be quite inspiring. Urban students often have the plight of learned helplessness upon them, which I think Mr. Whalen is actively trying to combat in his classroom by seeing that his students voices are heard and respected. Ultimately, I want to be perceived by my students as warm, understanding, wise, organized, and consistent. I see myself gravitating toward indirect instruction. I have a deep appreciation for inquiry learning and cooperative learning.